Career and Professional Development

Career Success

The beauty of a liberal arts education is that it opens doors and encourages exploration. Our faculty advisers and career counselors are seasoned mentors who will work one-on-one with you to clarify your interests and help you take full advantage of your W&L education. 

The Career and Professional Development Office offers workshops and one-on-one support outlining steps to ensure professional success, including a Foundation Series that walks students through career exploration, résumé and cover letter writing, internship and job searches, networking and interviewing. Our alumni are also active advisors and mentors, returning to campus for career panels and networking events and hosting students for career exploration trips in cities like New York and Washington, D.C.

Services

Peer Advisors

Peer advisors partner with students to explore careers and application materials, including resumes and cover letters. They also help navigate the job and internship search. 

Career Exploration

Don't know what you want to do post-graduation? Most students don't. At Washington and Lee, career consultation is available to all students, whether they are a first-year or a senior and whether they are searching for an internship, externship, research position, volunteer experience, summer job or full-time work.

Help with Applications

When applying to jobs and internships, professional documents are a big part of the process. Our office has resources to help you draft your resume, CV and cover letter. In addition, staff offer interview prep as well as mock interviews so you're prepared from submission to handshake.

Help for Alumni

Your career exploration doesn't end after you've gotten your first job out of college. That's why our Career and Professional Development Office will help you navigate your path through your first job transition and beyond.

Career and Professional Development

  • Elrod Commons 301
    Lexington, VA 24450

Meet the Staff

Employees in the Office of Career and Professional Development are eager to help every student achieve his or her career goals.

Molly Steele
Molly Steele

Molly Steele

Dean of Career and Professional Development

Molly, a 2004 graduate of W&L, assists students and alumni of all majors and career interests. She primarily works with first-year students to discover, navigate, and achieve their career and professional goals.

Lauren Vance
Lauren Vance

Lauren Vance

Director of Career and Professional Development, Business Advising and Recruitment Lead

Lauren assists students and alumni of all majors and career interests. Her advising focus areas are finance; consulting; real estate; accounting; entrepreneurship; and business.

Lorri Olan
Lorri Olan

Lorri Olan

Senior Associate Director of Career and Professional Development; Diversity Initiatives Lead and Pre-Law Advisor

Lorri assists students and alumni of all majors and career interests. Her advising focus areas are pre-law; government and politics; non-profit and public interest; arts and entertainment; and education.

Heather Scherschel, Ph.D.
Heather Scherschel, Ph.D.

Heather Scherschel, Ph.D.

Associate Director of Career and Professional Development, STEM Lead

Heather assists students and alumni of all majors and career interests. Her advising focus areas are healthcare; tech and data analytics; geoscience, environment and sustainability; engineering; and life sciences.

Brooke Peccie
Brooke Peccie

Brooke Peccie

Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development and Career Fellows Program Manager

A 2017 graduate of W&L, Brooke assists students and alumni of all majors and career interests. Her advising focus areas are consulting; marketing and advertising; communications and PR; journalism and publishing; and human resources and recruiting.

Brittany Carr
Brittany Carr

Brittany Carr

Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development, Pre-Health Professions

As the primary pre-health advisor, Brittany works with students and alumni as they explore, prepare for, and apply to graduate health professions programs. She assists with personal statement evaluation and mock interviews and manages the letters collection process.

Allegra Steck
Allegra Steck

Allegra Steck

Career and Professional Development Operations Coordinator

Allegra joined the Career and Professional Development team in May of 2022 and is responsible for the CPD office’s operations and recruiting logistics.

Lauren Vance
Lorri Olan
Heather Scherschel, Ph.D.
Brooke Peccie
Brittany Carr
Allegra Steck
Molly Steele

In the Lead: Scoring the Internship

Hanna Bishop ’24 and Rob DiSibio ’24 both worked for the NBA in summer 2023.

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Cultivating a Community of Care

Through the Davis Projects for Peace Grant and a Fulbright ETA, Allie Stankewich ’23 is building relationships with the communities she serves in East Africa.

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W&L Outcomes: Jack Maloy ’24

In September, Maloy will move to Germany for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship.

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W&L Alumna Maria Kisker ’21 Selected for Fulbright to Taiwan

Kisker will pursue a master’s degree in political economy at National Tsing Hua University.

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W&L Outcomes: Perry Kramer ’24

After a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia, Kramer is moving to NYC and will start working for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in October.

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Lending a Healing Hand

With the support of a Johnson Opportunity Grant, Sofia Iuteri ’27 is expanding the reach of the nonprofit she founded at 16.

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Saving the Sea Turtles

At the New England Aquarium, Julia Luzzio ’25 is expanding her horizons and gaining hands-on experience working with wildlife.

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W&L’s Tess Deyerle ’24 Selected for Teaching Assistant Program in France

Deyerle will teach English to French public school students before pursuing a career in special education.

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W&L’s Trip Wright ’25 Awarded Prestigious Beinecke Scholarship

The scholarship will support Wright’s future studies in urban sociology.

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W&L’s Kathleen Roberts ’24 Earns Spot Among LIME Scholars

Roberts will pursue her doctorate at Southern Methodist University through the selective leadership program.

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W&L Outcomes: Pari Ahmadi ’24

Pari Ahmadi ’24 will be working as a clinical research coordinator at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute before attending medical school.

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W&L’s Rheannon Loth ’24 Awarded a U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria

Loth will teach English in Austria for nine months before applying for the Peace Corps.

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Forbes, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Niche, Time/Money Magazine and U.S. News & World Report all consider W&L among the best college values in the nation.